Word nerds and lit lovers will be gathering next week for the annual Word Vancouver festival – and Burnaby talent is part of the fun.
A number of local authors and organizations are involved in the annual festival, which brings book lovers and authors together for workshops, discussions, exhibits, performances and other word-related activities at venues around the city from Sept. 26 to 30.
It culminates in a day-long festival on Sunday, Sept. 30 at Vancouver Public Library’s central branch, with exhibitor tents from a variety of publishers and organizations along with a host of readings by authors and poets.
This year’s Burnaby participants include:
BURNABY WRITERS SOCIETY
The Burnaby Writers Society is hosting a workshop called Writing From the Heart, with president Lara Varesi. It’s on at 11:45 a.m. in A1 in the downstairs atrium at the Vancouver Public Library on Sunday, Sept. 30. Varesi will give writing prompts for poetic inspiration around the impact of childhood memories on our adult selves.
LORIMER SHENHER
Shenher’s first book, That Lonely Section of Hell, detailed his assignment as the first detective on Vancouver’s missing women investigation. His second book, This One Looks Like a Boy, is a memoir of his gender transition and is set for release by Greystone Books in the spring of 2019.
Shenher will read at Stories of Murder on Beyond, happening Sunday, Sept. 30 at 2:30 p.m. at the library’s Alma Van Dusen Room.
JANE WHITTINGHAM
Whittingham is a librarian from Burnaby who earned her master’s of library and information sciences degree at UBC with an emphasis on children’s librarianship and literature. Much like the adventurous character in her first picture book, Wild One, Whittingham loves to explore.
She’ll be reading at the CUPE Stage on Sunday, Sept. 30 at 2 p.m.
AIDAN CHAFE
Chafe is a public school teacher, author and poet whose debut collection of poems, Short History of Light, is published by McGill-Queen’s University Press. He’ll be reading at Poetry in Transit, in the library’s Sunrise Suite on Sunday Sept. 30 at 2:20 p.m.
See www.wordvancouver.ca for the full festival schedule.
